NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
Expert rating6.5 / 10
- Architecture:
- Ampere (GA106)
- CUDA Cores:
- 2560
- Memory:
- 8GB GDDR6
- TDP:
- 130W
- Launch Price:
- $249
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Manufacturer: NVIDIA Last updated: September 11, 2026
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (Graphics Card/Ampere GA106/2560 CUDA Cores/8GB GDDR6/Budget Ray Tracing) Review
The RTX 3050 was NVIDIA's entry point into the Ampere generation, bringing ray tracing and DLSS down to a genuinely budget price tier for the first time.
2560 CUDA cores and dedicated RT and Tensor cores let the RTX 3050 run ray-traced effects and DLSS upscaling that older, cheaper cards simply couldn't touch, even if performance headroom is modest.
Ray Tracing at a Budget Price
2560 CUDA cores and dedicated RT and Tensor cores let the RTX 3050 run ray-traced effects and DLSS upscaling that older, cheaper cards simply couldn't touch, even if performance headroom is modest.
A Card for Light 1080p Gaming
With 8GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, the RTX 3050 targets esports titles and 1080p gaming at medium settings rather than demanding AAA workloads.
Comparison to Alternatives
Against the newer RTX 4060 already on this site, the RTX 3050 trails clearly in efficiency and DLSS generation support, but often sells for meaningfully less on the clearance market. Against AMD's RX 6600 covered in this batch, the RTX 3050 offers DLSS and ray tracing at a similar price, trading some rasterization performance.
Specifications
Performance
| VRAM | 8 GB |
|---|---|
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| Boost Clock | 1777 MHz |
Physical & Power
| TDP | 130 W |
|---|
Silicon
| Architecture | Ampere (GA106) |
|---|---|
| Shader Units | 2560 |
Memory
| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit |
|---|
Market and workstation
| MSRP | 249 USD |
|---|
Expert Review
Reviewed by Burooj Alam. Rated by us, not by users.
Expert rating6.5 / 10
Entry-level ray tracing and DLSS at a budget price, with modest raw performance.
Best for
- Budget 1080p builds that want entry-level ray tracing and DLSS support.
Not for
- Buyers who prioritize raw rasterization performance over RT/DLSS features.
FAQs
What are the key specifications of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (Graphics Card/Ampere GA106/2560 CUDA Cores/8GB GDDR6/Budget Ray Tracing)?
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (Graphics Card/Ampere GA106/2560 CUDA Cores/8GB GDDR6/Budget Ray Tracing) is a graphics card from NVIDIA. Key specs: Architecture Ampere (GA106), CUDA Cores 2560, Boost Clock 1777, Memory 8GB GDDR6, Memory Bus 128-bit.
Who is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (Graphics Card/Ampere GA106/2560 CUDA Cores/8GB GDDR6/Budget Ray Tracing) best suited to?
It suits budget 1080p builds that want entry-level ray tracing and dlss support..
What are the drawbacks of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (Graphics Card/Ampere GA106/2560 CUDA Cores/8GB GDDR6/Budget Ray Tracing)?
It is a poor fit for buyers who prioritize raw rasterization performance over rt/dlss features..
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